


Our Christmas Tree

by Mnemo_ink



Category: X-Men (Alternate Timeline Movies)
Genre: Canon Disabled Character, Christmas, Raven approves of Erik, Siblings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-23
Updated: 2019-12-23
Packaged: 2021-02-18 07:14:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 770
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21890308
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mnemo_ink/pseuds/Mnemo_ink
Summary: Raven had always dreaded the day Charles would commit in a romantic relationship.Or the tale of a sibling tradition.
Relationships: Erik Lehnsherr/Charles Xavier, Raven | Mystique & Charles Xavier
Comments: 2
Kudos: 34
Collections: Secret Mutant Madness 2019





	Our Christmas Tree

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ikeracity](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ikeracity/gifts).
  * In response to a prompt by [ikeracity](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ikeracity/pseuds/ikeracity) in the [secret_mutant_madness_2019](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/secret_mutant_madness_2019) collection. 



> **Prompt:**  
> 
> 
> I'd just love fic/art of Charles and Raven having a healthy, fun, supportive sibling relationship. Maybe Charles helping Raven get ready for a date? With Erik making dry comments in the background, of course.

Raven had always dreaded the day her brother would seriously commit in a romantic relationship.

Part of the reason could be seen as selfish, fearing she'd been relegated to a lower place in Charles' heart and would disappear from his life.

Part of it was more than understandable with their past. She didn't want him to be hurt again, in any way.

Part of her apprehension was a lot more specific. Christmas specific.

You see, decorating the Christmas tree was their thing. Theirs, no one else.

Growing up, Christmas had been just another party to be quiet and pretty at. Their family wasn't religious and any of the warmth of that holiday was only a fable for them, something out of books and movies. The decoration was as perfect as a magazine, and had to remain untouched. Christmas felt like an inaccessible dream. Something that was out of their reach, for all the wealth of their family. 

One year, she practiced a nutcracker dance for weeks. Sharon liked the idea. Liked it so much she hired a professional ballerina. Raven danced only for Charles.

Maybe it was different when Brian was alive. Charles wasn't sure his memories were true or mere wish thinking. After the accident that paralyzed him, it became unbearable. He wasn't anymore simply the model son. He was another tragedy in Sharon's life, a source of pity.

Celebrating as they wanted was a victory against the coldness of their youth and they jumped at the chance as soon as they were on their own.

It nearly all ended quite catastrophically. When you spend years putting so much hope and expectations on something, it is hard to be disappointed. They wanted their first Christmas to be perfect, exactly as they imagined. Problems were: 1) perfection is not of this world and 2) they hadn't exactly imagined the same things. Like, not at all. They may be family, but they didn't have the same tastes. They bickered over everything, from the food to the music, but especially the decoration. None of them would back off. All the tension culminated in a truce with the taste of a competition: Raven would decorate the top half of the tree as she wanted, Charles would do the lower half.

Raven wanted bright colors with all the Nutcracker ornaments possible. Charles went for classic green, red and gold, tartan bows with a couple ornaments of teacups and teapots. It should have been a disaster. Instead they fell in love with their weird unique tree. And thus, the tradition was started. Through the years, they found more ballerinas and tea time theme ornaments, developed more their style, but always, always, did the two halves thing. A system that clearly couldn't work with some other participant to consider.

And then it happened. Charles introduced her to Erik, and before she could blink, he was living with them ("it took more than eight months Raven." "Shut up Charles"). She was scared and ready to fight back if necessary to protect Charles and her. She didn't have any intention to make it easy for Erik (and she succeeded at that spectacularly, which proved Erik's determination and love, no need to thank her).

Charles didn't care about her any less, Erik was a good guy who'd probably join the "protect Charles Xavier at all cost" squad if such thing existed (and perhaps it should?). And cherry on top, Erik was Jewish and couldn't care less about the Christmas tree as long as his own traditions were respected, something the Xavier siblings were happy to do.

All went so well she even bought Erik his own winter special mug for his good conduct and general coolness (his "exceptional" upon discovering the tree _was_ dripping with sarcasm but he made terrific hot chocolate so she could forgive him).

As their second December Feasts went even better than the first, she couldn't help but smile feeling the warmth of their home: she was convinced of it now, nothing could ever change their christmas tree ritual.

\---

There was, in fact, something that could change their ritual. More than one something to be precise.

The first was baby David, watching with his most serious expression as the second, her son Kurt, was putting his very first ornament on the tree. She looked at Charles and saw the same pure joy she felt in his eyes. They'd reworked the details of the tree decoration later. For now, they just smiled and lived these new precious moments. 

(Added bonus: she could cosplay the babies as the nutcraker characters, and that opened a lot of possibilities).


End file.
